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Amjambo Time

Amjambo Time

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Amjambo Time” is hosted by radio professional and Amjambo Africa News Editor Jean Damascène Hakuzimana and is a collaboration with University of Southern Maine radio station WMPG's Global Mainers Initiative. New episodes are released once a month on the second Saturday.Copyright WMPG Política y Gobierno
Episodios
  • MOXIE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

    MOXIE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
    Mar 8 2026
    Hello and welcome to Amjambo Time, the podcast where we explore stories, ideas, and conversations shaping our communities.
    I’m your host, Eloge Willy Kaneza.
    Today’s episode focuses on an important initiative in Maine’s education landscape: MOXIE Public Schools, a new public charter school preparing to open its doors in Portland in 2026.
    At a time when many immigrant and refugee families are navigating uncertainty — from immigration enforcement to long asylum backlogs and housing instability — MOXIE aims to become more than a school. Its founders envision a learning community built on dignity, participation, and trust.
    Seats will initially be limited in grades 6 and 9, with the first student offers expected in April 2026, following a public lottery scheduled for April 1. Families are encouraged to submit an interest form early, in a process that MOXIE describes as relational rather than transactional.
    But beyond enrollment timelines, the bigger question remains: what does a truly human-centered school look like for students whose lives have been shaped by migration, displacement, and uncertainty?
    To explore that question, I spoke with Virgel Hammonds, one of MOXIE’s founding leaders, and Robert Karl, a historian and professor at Minerva University who has spent years studying migration, trauma, and asylum processes.
    Our conversation explores language access, belonging in schools, trauma-informed education, and how communities can rebuild trust between families and institutions.
    Here is our conversation. You’ve been listening to Amjambo Time, hosted by Eloge Willy Kaneza.
    My guests today were Virgel Hammonds, founding leader of MOXIE Public Schools, and Robert Karl, historian and professor at Minerva University.
    We discussed the challenges immigrant and refugee families face in education systems — and how new models like MOXIE are trying to create schools where students feel seen, heard, and supported.
    If you’d like to learn more about MOXIE Public Schools or submit an interest form for enrollment, you can find more information through their official channels.
    Thank you for listening, and until next time, this is Amjambo Time — where stories, ideas, and community meet.
    Más Menos
    51 m
  • ICE and the Housing Crisis

    ICE and the Housing Crisis
    Feb 15 2026
    Welcome to Amjambo Time. I’m Eloge Willy Kaneza. Today, we’re talking about how recent ICE operations in Maine spread fear through immigrant communities — and how that fear quickly turned into a housing crisis for hundreds of families.
    In late January, fear moved faster than snowstorms. It crept into apartments, workplaces, and school drop-off lines. Streets emptied, doors stayed closed, and livelihoods went silent. For many immigrant families, the surge in ICE raids didn’t just threaten arrests — it triggered a housing emergency.
    To understand the impact, I spoke with Claude Rwaganje, executive director of ProsperityME, a community organization supporting immigrants and refugees across Maine. Rwaganje told us, “People were afraid to go to work, afraid to take their children to school, afraid to go to church or even to the grocery store.”
    Even those with legal status — green card holders or asylum seekers — stayed home, unsure who might be next. That meant no income, but rent didn’t wait. One single mother didn’t leave her apartment for a week. Her car was towed, costing five hundred dollars, with no income to cover it.
    The ICE surge affected more than families. Immigrants make up much of Maine’s essential workforce — hospital staff, cleaners, drivers, and food service workers. When fear forced them into hiding, hospitals struggled to staff shifts, businesses couldn’t operate, and children missed school.
    Rent quickly became the most urgent problem. Families lost income overnight, had no savings, and eviction notices loom after 30 days of unpaid rent. To respond, ProsperityME launched an emergency housing relief fund, providing up to three hundred dollars per household to cover part of rent or prevent immediate crisis.
    The fund prioritizes families affected directly by ICE raids, those with reduced wages, and the most vulnerable households. It’s a one-time intervention — not an ongoing subsidy — designed to help families regain stability.
    While evictions haven’t peaked yet, the risk is real. ProsperityME works with partners like Project Home, which has raised three hundred thirty thousand dollars for rental relief. But the line between fear and eviction remains thin.
    This crisis underscores a vital truth: immigrants are essential to Maine. They’re workers, taxpayers, business owners, and members of our communities — not criminals. When enforcement disrupts their lives, it affects the state’s economy, housing, and social cohesion.
    Thank you for listening to this episode of Amjambo Time. Stay informed, stay engaged, and continue supporting our immigrant communities.
    Follow us online at www.amjamboafrica.com and on our social media platforms. Share stories from your community by reaching out to us — we want to hear from you.
    Until next time, keep listening, keep learning, and keep building stronger communities together.
    Más Menos
    31 m
  • MAINE FAITH LEADERS UNITE

    MAINE FAITH LEADERS UNITE
    Jan 25 2026
    Across the United States, and here in Maine, communities that once felt safe are confronting a new climate of fear. Houses of worship, cultural centers, and immigrant organizations are increasingly facing threats driven by hate, misinformation, and political polarization.
    In this episode, we look at a rare and powerful response: faith leaders, immigrant advocates, and civil society groups in Maine coming together across religious and cultural lines to protect vulnerable communities. At the center of this effort is LD 2107, a bill that would create a Nonprofit Security Grant Program to help organizations strengthen their safety without sacrificing their mission.
    Through a conversation with Zach Schwartz, director of the Jewish Community Relations Council at the Jewish Community Alliance, we explore rising antisemitism, threats facing African and immigrant communities, and why solidarity — not silence — is essential in moments like this.
    This is a story about fear, yes — but also about courage, memory, and unity.
    You’re listening to Amjambo Time.
    As we close today’s episode, one message stands out clearly: security is not just about locks, cameras, or guards — it is about dignity, belonging, and the right to exist without fear.
    From synagogues to mosques, churches to cultural associations, the coalition behind LD 2107 shows what is possible when communities refuse to be divided by hate. Their work reminds us that history — from the Holocaust to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi — teaches a painful but urgent lesson: violence does not begin with weapons, but with words, exclusion, and indifference.
    What’s happening in Maine is more than a local legislative effort. It is a model of solidarity in a fractured world — a reminder that when one community is threatened, all are at risk, and when communities stand together, they become stronger.
    If you’re in Maine, your voice matters. Engage, testify, and speak out. And wherever you are listening from, remember: protecting vulnerable communities is not optional — it is a shared responsibility.
    Thank you for listening to Amjambo Time.
    I’m Eloge Willy Kaneza.Until next time — stay informed, stay engaged, and stay human.
    Más Menos
    32 m
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